


What was different

by SaltinesAndPeanutButter



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Autistic Pearl (Steven Universe), Autistic Steven Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-09 03:47:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15258741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaltinesAndPeanutButter/pseuds/SaltinesAndPeanutButter
Summary: Pearl talks to Steven about autism and being autistic.





	What was different

**Author's Note:**

> This is meant to take place at the beginning of the series.
> 
> Hi everyone! I've edited this fic on 1/10/2019 to remove the portion where Pearl says Steven was different from Rose, which led into their discussion about autism. Reason being is that the more I think about it, the more it seems like Rose could be interpreted as autistic too. So I'm letting y'all know about this edit for transparency's sake in case anyone reads this fic again and thinks to themselves "I could've sworn that Pearl said X instead of Y!" Also, thank you so so much for the kudos! I never expected this fic to be so well received.

Pearl sat on the couch, twiddling her thumbs. She decided today was going to be the day she told Steven. She heard the door open and saw Steven walking into the house. She rose from her seat and rushed over to him.

"Why, Steven, you're home!"

"Hi, Pearl! Where're Garnet and Amethyst?"

"Well, they're running some errands."

"When will they be back?"

"It's hard to say- but I imagine it'll be a few hours." Pearl paused for a moment, looking down at her feet, and then up at the painting of Rose.

"Listen, Steven, there's something I need to talk to you about." She said, motioning towards the couch. They both sat down and Pearl let out a sigh.

"Steven, when you were first born, we all knew something was different about you- and not just that you were both a human and a gem. You were so much like your mother in regards to personality, and we were quick to notice that's what set you apart from other human children."

"Uh-huh."

"So, we had been taking you to a doctor since we had read in a book that human babies need lots of appointments. Well, right before your third birthday our 'family doctor', as Greg called it, sent us to another doctor about an hour's drive away. So we listened and took you there. We thought we were being responsible guardians. And we were! For the most part."

"Pearl, where are you going with this? Was something wrong with me?  _Is_ something wrong with me?"

"Not at all! Oh Steven, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for it to sound like that! I promise it'll make more sense when I'm done."

"Alright."

"Anyway, when we got to the doctor's, we figured it was for just another check-up, but Greg seemed more worried. He knew more about doctors than we did, but we just ignored him. The doctor told us we had been referred to him because the family doctor wanted to test you for something called 'autism.' Have you ever heard of that, Steven?"

"Nope."

"Ah. So, none of us had any idea what it was except Greg, and he'd only heard about it in passing. The doctor didn't tell us what autism was, so we of course were worried. But we let them test you. The tests were rather odd- a lot of them involved the doctor just talking to us. He asked us if you often didn't make eye contact, and asked us if you had started speaking yet, among other things. It seemed very unsophisticated to me. But by the end of the appointment, the results were in- you tested positive for autism."

There was silence between the two of them for a moment before Pearl continued to speak.

"Before we left, the doctor gave us this booklet which was meant to educate us about autism. We all read it, but I read it over many times. Not just because I felt an obligation to inform myself for your well-being, but also because the more I read it, the more I realized that those traits...they described me as well. I didn't know what to think. For such a long time I had known I was a bit...odd, to say the least, even among other gems. But now I finally had a word for it- and it was scary yet comforting. Steven, after we're done with this conversation, I only want you to be comforted, not scared."

Steven nodded.

"Eventually after a few months, we went back to the family doctor and he wanted us to go back to the specialist. So we did. The doctor recommend to us a type of therapy that was supposed to help you. But the more he told us about it, the more wary we became of letting you receive it. He told us it needed to be forty hours a week- we thought that was way too long. Greg said that's the same amount of time that some adults work in a week. The doctor told us that this type of therapy was necessary for you to be in a public school. We did go and sit in on a session of this therapy, and Steven, I almost cried. Both Garnet and I agreed that this type of therapy bared an eerie resemblance to how Homeworld treated gems who didn't fall in line. It was torture, Steven. We left that appointment determined to find you a school that you could attend without this barbaric therapy. We even looked into neighboring counties and states. But it was all the same. If a child had a diagnosis of autism, they needed this therapy to attend a public school. So we decided we just wouldn't send you to school."

"Pearl, you haven't actually told me what autism is."

"Oh, right. Well, autistic people or gems, for that matter, have trouble socializing. In addition, we often have a limited number of intense interests that we dedicate ourselves to whole heartedly. Another commonality is that we have a need for stimulation in order to regulate our emotions. I often walk on the tips of my feet and twirl around, for example. Autism in itself is merely a different type of brain humans can have. I'm unsure how it works for gems. So how do you feel, Steven?

"I feel...happy, and comforted."

Pearl shed a few happy tears.

"I couldn't be more glad. Maybe I should've told you sooner."


End file.
